The Vegas Golden Knights, fueled by Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault, are ready to take the ice against Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in an East-West showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 5, and fans at home can witness the game live on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
The Lightning (-175) are currently favored over the Golden Knights (+155), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Earning 17.9 units for moneyline bettors, Tampa Bay is 39-13 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, the NHL’s best so far in the early season, is an improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (54-28). Of its 52 games this season, 27 have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 20-5 SU at home this year.
The Lightning currently have the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve found the net on 29.6 percent of their extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 84.0 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 30.4 saves per game with a .925 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (21 wins, nine losses, and two OT losses) has been the best option in goal for Tampa Bay this season. If the Bolts choose to give him a breather, however, Tampa Bay may turn to Louis Domingue (17-4-4 record, .906 save percentage, 2.95 goals against average).
Vegas has lost 5.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 29-25 straight up (SU). A total of 27 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just four have pushed. The Golden Knights are 13-16 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Golden Knights have converted on 18.8 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fourth overall and it’s successfully defended 84.2 percent of all penalties.
Marc-Andre Fleury (25.1 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Vegas. Fleury has 27 wins, 19 losses, and four OT losses to his credit, while registering a .911 save percentage and 2.48 goals against average this year.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Over Tampa Bay’s last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
- Penalties and power plays could prove to be even more critical than usual in this matchup. The Golden Knights are 12-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 24-20 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Lightning are 13-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 20-12 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Tampa Bay is 4-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vegas is 1-1 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in four of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
- Vegas has averaged 13.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.5 giveaways per game (ranked 13th).
- Tampa Bay has averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.5 giveaways per game (ranked 8th).
- This game features two of the more aggressive teams in the league. Vegas skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (27.4) and the Bolts have tallied the seventh-most (25.3).
